Iran Replace police chief amid protests

Mahsa amini

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Roznia's police chief on Saturday, almost four months after protests continued in Iran following the killing of Kurdish woman Mehsa Amini. 

According to the AFP news agency, protests and unrest have gripped the Islamic Republic of Iran since September 16 following alleged violations of a strict dress code for women. 

A statement published on Iran's official Rehbar Moazham website said Supreme Leader Khamenei has the final say on major state policies and is also the supreme commander of Iran's armed forces. the new chief of police was appointed. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the police department to improve their skills and train special forces for various security areas. 

General Ahmad Raza Radan was Deputy Chief of Police from 2008 to 2014 and also headed the Center for Strategic Police Studies. Ahmed Raza Radan, 59, and Hussain Ashtari, both began their military careers with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

In 2010, the United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on General Ahmad Reza Radan over human rights abuses related to protests following the 2009 presidential election in Iran. 

Announcing the appointment of the new police chief, General Reza Radan, Khamenei expressed his satisfaction with Hossein Ashtari's eight years of service and thanked him. 

Iranian authorities are calling the current nationwide protests "riots" and have reported that hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed and thousands arrested.